Wildlife And Nature

Milkweed is the only plant Monarch Butterflies lay their eggs on—and the only food monarch caterpillars eat.Without milkweed, monarchs can’t survive. That’s why planting and protecting milkweed is one of the most important ways we can help these amazing creatures of nature.  In my picture book manuscript, Perla talks about this to one of her classmates in Perla And Her Flying Backpack-An Idea Takes Flight. (Photo by Terry Murphy on Pixabay)

For my middle grade novel manuscript, follow Sondra, and her friends, Jordan and Peyton all the way down the creek. But what are they doing there? They want to help Sondra with her canoeing skills. In about three weeks, she has canoeing evals in her PE class, and she wants to do a great job,

Let me introduce you to part of the setting for one of my upcoming chapter books. Let’s visit and work with Evan as he learns about his chosen, project-based learning, life on a working farm! He wants to learn about farm life right away, but he will have to wait for a future book. Hang

The creek at the end of my block where I used to live in Indiana, has inspired material for my middle grade novel, picture books, and personal essays. Though it may be far away in distance, it will always be nearby in my heart and spirit. This nature-based photo and creek, is filled with wild

I was so pleased and excited to see the Killdeer bird couple return for the second year in a row. I saw them previous to this on February 14, Valentine’s Day! It was almost as if they were scouting out their future home, and they stopped by to say hello. The Killdeer couple often switch

While I was recently shopping at the grocery store with my husband, I noticed a grackle strutting down the aisles. It looked as if it were shopping for food! Even thought it looked sweet, on a more serious note, I pondered what would happen to the bird’s well-being if it were not able to leave

While my husband and I were shopping for our groceries, I noticed a grackle strutting down the aisles. On a sweet note, it looked as if the bird was shopping for groceries. On a more serious note, I wondered how the bird would leave the store, safely, and what would be the consequences to the

Two cute Killdeer bird partners came by from July 1st to July 8th, digging out crevices within the river rock bases in my front yard. Perhaps with the hotter temperatures this summer, they chose to build their nests closer to the nearby lake. I’m hoping they’ll return in the near future. However, other birds like

On April 27, 2023, a Killdeer bird squawked with authority, as it staked its claim for a nesting spot in river rock, under an oak tree on my front lawn. It started off by laying one egg the first day, until it gradually laid four eggs, one per day. On May 25, 2023, the Killdeer